Kate Wilhelm has been a writer since 1956, and after having had more than 30 novels published, (see her Amazon Author Page) she has now embraced self-publishing and digital self-publishing in response to a long series of unsatisfactory publishing contracts. With the help of relatives, she has now set up Infinity Box Press to re-release her back catalogue.
It surely says a lot about the current situation in traditional publishing when a writer of this lady's experience and stature rejects a familiar route in preference for indie self-publishing. Good for her! I wish her well.
Well, the July ebook bargains promo on Smashwords is over now. Throughout the month of July I offered two ebooks free, and it was interesting to see that Spanish Jones was chosen by far more people than The Karens. Maybe people don't expect me to have penned a sci-fi story? The whole genre pigeon-holing issue leaves me a bit puzzled. Ok, so I mostly write urban fantasy or dark urban fantasy - depending on how nit-picking you can be bothered getting. Or you might opt to call it paranormal romance in that the novels have strong elements of both romance and the occult, and yet the paranormal romance genre label is most usually applied to erotica - and my work is not erotic (or at least not so far). But I also write poetry and non-fiction, and mainstream fiction and sci-fi, and I'm playing around with an idea for a children's fantasy story which I've already done a watercolour illustration for. Really, I'm not a This sort of writer or a That sort of writer. I just write. Anyway, that's enough introspection.
Richard and I have have 'discovered' a lovely caffeine-free tea, which is lemon and ginger. We're already on our third box of it. We were sipping it last night while watching a funny cartoon film, Kung Fu Panda. We hadn't seen it before, and both enjoyed it. At the moment he's watching another film, Airport '79, in which a plane starts falling to bits mid-flight. It's not my thing, which is why I'm updating this.
Emily has antibiotics from our vet, as she has kennel cough - possibly caught from the Shih-tzu which we tried to adopt. The vet said she'll be ok as we didn't let it develop into a serious infection before we sought help, plus our use of an over-the-counter liquorish balsam has helped to ease her throat's irritation. We had really wanted to adopt Buster; he was such a cute fellow. Unfortunately he twice tried to kill our chickens, he bit Richard, snarled at me, snarled at a neighbour's toddler.... And now it seems he may have brought kennel cough into our home, too.
We had a fun day out in Chester a week ago. It's unusual for Richard to close the studio on Saturdays but he wanted a break from the same four walls. We enjoyed some good cuisine in The Victoria, where I took a photo of him which turned out to be the most awful photo of him ever, just as he had a mouthful of food and was in mid-chew - so that was promptly deleted. Unfortunately that was the only photo I took all day, as the rest of the time was spent either shopping for a few new clothes or meandering beside the River Dee.
Tonight an old friend since high school days phoned to make arrangements to meet. Freddie said she'd seen the interview with me in Marie Claire magazine - which is more than I have. I didn't even know it had been published yet, so I've no idea how the interview came out.
It surely says a lot about the current situation in traditional publishing when a writer of this lady's experience and stature rejects a familiar route in preference for indie self-publishing. Good for her! I wish her well.
Well, the July ebook bargains promo on Smashwords is over now. Throughout the month of July I offered two ebooks free, and it was interesting to see that Spanish Jones was chosen by far more people than The Karens. Maybe people don't expect me to have penned a sci-fi story? The whole genre pigeon-holing issue leaves me a bit puzzled. Ok, so I mostly write urban fantasy or dark urban fantasy - depending on how nit-picking you can be bothered getting. Or you might opt to call it paranormal romance in that the novels have strong elements of both romance and the occult, and yet the paranormal romance genre label is most usually applied to erotica - and my work is not erotic (or at least not so far). But I also write poetry and non-fiction, and mainstream fiction and sci-fi, and I'm playing around with an idea for a children's fantasy story which I've already done a watercolour illustration for. Really, I'm not a This sort of writer or a That sort of writer. I just write. Anyway, that's enough introspection.
Richard and I have have 'discovered' a lovely caffeine-free tea, which is lemon and ginger. We're already on our third box of it. We were sipping it last night while watching a funny cartoon film, Kung Fu Panda. We hadn't seen it before, and both enjoyed it. At the moment he's watching another film, Airport '79, in which a plane starts falling to bits mid-flight. It's not my thing, which is why I'm updating this.
Emily has antibiotics from our vet, as she has kennel cough - possibly caught from the Shih-tzu which we tried to adopt. The vet said she'll be ok as we didn't let it develop into a serious infection before we sought help, plus our use of an over-the-counter liquorish balsam has helped to ease her throat's irritation. We had really wanted to adopt Buster; he was such a cute fellow. Unfortunately he twice tried to kill our chickens, he bit Richard, snarled at me, snarled at a neighbour's toddler.... And now it seems he may have brought kennel cough into our home, too.
We had a fun day out in Chester a week ago. It's unusual for Richard to close the studio on Saturdays but he wanted a break from the same four walls. We enjoyed some good cuisine in The Victoria, where I took a photo of him which turned out to be the most awful photo of him ever, just as he had a mouthful of food and was in mid-chew - so that was promptly deleted. Unfortunately that was the only photo I took all day, as the rest of the time was spent either shopping for a few new clothes or meandering beside the River Dee.
Tonight an old friend since high school days phoned to make arrangements to meet. Freddie said she'd seen the interview with me in Marie Claire magazine - which is more than I have. I didn't even know it had been published yet, so I've no idea how the interview came out.
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